BURKHOLDERIA PSEUDOMALLEI INFECTION IN A PUERTO-RICAN PATIENT WITH CHRONIC GRANULOMATOUS-DISEASE - CASE-REPORT AND REVIEW OF OCCURRENCES INTHE AMERICA

Burkholderia species, notably Burkholderia cepacia and Burkholderia gl adioli, are important pathogens in patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of meli oidosis, is endemic in Southeast Asia and northern Australia but is a rare pathogen in other parts of the world. We describe the occurrence of B. pseudomallei infection in a Puerto Rican patient with CGD, This is one of only a small number of documented cases of melioidosis autoc hthonous to the Americas and is the first reported case of B. pseudoma llei infection in a CGD patient from the Americas. We conclude that B. pseudomallei, like B. cepacia and B. gladioli, should be considered a potential pathogen in patients with CGD and that melioidosis should b e considered in the differential diagnosis for ill residents of or tra velers to Puerto Rico.